Archaeology and Economic Development 2012

Community Development and Heritage: Lessons from Cambodia

After
decades of conflict beginning in the 1970s and the attendant decay of the
country’s infrastructure, Cambodia’s fortunes began to change with the signing
of the 1991 Paris Peace
Accords. Since the late 1990s Cambodia has become more politically stable
and steps have been made in rebuilding civil society and government
institutions. Problems, however, still exist. Aid agencies continually
highlight a lack of government investment in the rural sector, high child
mortality rates, poor secondary education, poor access to affordable energy,
and unsustainable natural resource exploitation as well as endemic corruption.
This situation has resulted in a widening gulf between rich and poor in
Cambodia. It also has a negative effect on heritage as rural poverty has been
linked to the destruction of archaeological sites in efforts to generate
income.

This
paper will explore recent attempts to combat heritage destruction in rural
areas of Cambodia through a broader development approach with special attention
to projects undertaken by Heritage Watch. The challenges and difficulties faced
as well as the successes in the execution of these projects will be examined.